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Author Notes: We've had this for breakfast on Christmas morning for years! My father in law says it wouldn't be Christmas without it. The first incarnation involved frying the toast, which was pretty messy. Delicious, yes. Fun for the cook? Absolutely not. Who wants a lot of sticky pans on a holiday? Then I saw a version in Bon Appetit that called for baking the toast and it was like a Christmas miracle all over again. When I hit on using sourdough bread to give the dish just a tiny bit of tang to offset the sweetness of the egg nog, I declared victory. Never looked back. —cheesypennies

Serves 6

4cups purchased egg nog

4 eggs

1teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1teaspoon cinnamon

1/2teaspoon vanilla

1 large loaf of sourdough French bread

1 stick (1/2 c.) butter, melted, plus extra for drizzling

powdered sugar, for dusting

The night before your breakfast, prepare the custard. In a large bowl, whisk egg nog, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla together until completely combined. Set aside.

Slice the bread into 3/4 inch slices. Discard ends, or use them make toast to snack on while you work. Arrange the bread slices in a single layer in one or two shallow baking dishes (depending on size), so they are close but not squished.

Pour the custard over the bread, splitting evenly if you are using more than one dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours, or preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 400. Pour 1/2 of melted butter onto a large (10x15) baking sheet. Using a spatula, transfer bread onto baking sheet. Brush remaining butter on top of the bread. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn over, and bake until golden brown and crisp on the outside and still soft in the middle, about 6 minutes more.

Place toast on serving plates, drizzle with a little extra melted butter, and dust lightly with powdered sugar. Serve with warm maple syrup, crispy smoked bacon and a little fruit on the side.